A coroner's inquest this week into the deaths of two Invercargill infants in 2010 has sparked concern about babies overheating in their sleep.
But the Invercargill cases were highly unusual and most New Zealand parents followed sound advice when regulating their babies' temperature, Plunket southern clinical adviser Maria Browne said.
Plunket provided parents and caregivers with detailed information about ensuring infants were not exposed to dangerous temperatures.
Most parents had a natural tendency to worry about keeping their babies warm enough, rather than cooling them down, Ms Browne said.
An ideal temperature for babies was one in which adults could comfortably wear light clothing, such as a single cotton layer, she said.
Plunket encourages parents to keep babies in well-ventilated rooms, heated if necessary with a device which can be controlled by a thermostat.
"We want parents to avoid fan heaters and gas heaters because they keep heating rooms. They don't stop at a certain temperature, or maintain a temperature," Ms Browne said.
Rooms should usually be between 16degC and 20degC for babies to be comfortable and safe, she said.
Bassinets or cots should be kept away from windows, where rooms were coldest, and babies should be clothed and covered with natural fabrics, such as wool and cotton, because those fibres "breathed".
To check if a baby was too hot or cold, adults could touch the back of the infant's neck underneath clothing.
"If they feel warm, they are fine, even if their hands and feet are cold. If they feel cold, put another layer on them," Ms Browne said.
A general rule was to put one more layer on a baby than what an adult was wearing or sleeping under.
Prof Barry Taylor, a sudden infant death syndrome researcher at the University of Otago, said babies could regulate their own temperature to a degree, but only in environments which made it possible.
"If their head and hands are free, they can sweat through them. The critical issue is the environment that family or caregivers put around them to allow them to get rid of heat.
"That ability can be overwhelmed depending on the environment," Prof Taylor said.
Dunedin's Anglican Family Care Centre works with 214 local families each year through its Family Start programme.
Director Nicola Taylor urged people not sure about aspects of parenting to ask for help.
Temperature tips
• Use heaters with thermostats.
• Put babies in natural fabrics which breathe.
• Keep rooms well ventilated and doors open.
• Heat rooms to between 16degC and 20degC.
• Babies usually need one more layer of clothing or bedding than adults.
• Check a baby's temperature at the back of their neck.
• A baby's ideal room temperature is comfortable for lightly clothed adults.
